The present invention relates to an axle straightening press for use as a hand tool in connection with model cars. The axle straightening press has particular utility in connection with straightening axles.
As winter loosens its grip, Cub Scouts emerge from dens across the land for a contest: the PINEWOOD DERBY® wooden model car race. For the PINEWOOD DERBY® wooden model car race, Cub Scouts and their adult sponsors assemble a wooden car from a kit and then race their cars against those of fellow Cub Scouts upon a track with guideways for each car. Cub Scouts that win local races advance to tournaments. In a car race, speed remains essential to victory and thousandths of a second count. Cub Scouts and sponsors seek to minimize wheel friction and to align wheels precisely. The wood cars have four wheels. Each plastic wheel has a finished face, a rim, and a centered hub opposite the finished face. The hub fits over an axle hammered into the car. Spinning upon the axle, the hub contacts the car.
A unique aspect of the present invention is straightening an axle manually with minimal risk of injury and only a hammer. In a press, an axle straightens under a compressive force uniformly applied. A straight axle parallels the axis of rotation of the wheel allowing the wheel complete contact with the track and not the guideway. Prior art designs straightened axles by visual and tactile observation alone. Because of imprecise hammering and sore thumbs, Cub Scouts had less involvement in fine-tuning the axles for their cars and slower cars. In summary, the prior art required a hammer and the coordination of an adult while Cub Scouts sat out the fine-tuning of their cars for speed.
The present art overcomes the limitations of the prior art. The difficulty in straightening axles by Cub Scouts with minimal injury is shown by the operation of the typical method. From the factory and handling, axles have slight imperfections. Installed upon a car, an as delivered axle may cause binding of the hub and will alter the toe and camber of the wheel adversely. The wheel makes partial contact with the track and the guideway, increasing friction and reducing the speed of the car. Typically, sponsors and Cub Scouts straighten axles by hand and eye with a hammer. A sponsor would roll an axle upon a flat surface until the axle rotated longitudinally to its highest point. Then to straighten the axle, a conventional method requires a sponsor to hold the axle at its highest point and then to hit the highest point with a hammer. Such a manual method may not accurately straighten the hub and result in injuries to fingers and thumbs. The present invention overcomes this difficulty.
That is, the art of the present invention allows Cub Scouts to straighten the axles of their model cars using a blow or two from a hammer. Axle straightening presses are desirable to reduce friction between a hub and an axle, and for a more precise orientation of a rim to the track.